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Two minutes with Chuck Watkins
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After last Friday’s Punchline, we chatted with local comic Chuck Watkins about his solo act, Fourtrack-Blackjack. Extremely unique — and exhausting to watch — Fourtrack-Blackjack combines stand-up comedy, live music, and recordings of loops that Chuck stops and starts as he’s performing. It’s all made possible by one machine — and one very creative comedian.
That Other Paper What exactly is Fourtrack-Blackjack?
Chuck Watkins Anti-folk. Fourtrack-Blackjack is a musical entity. I’m right in the middle of recording Four Seasons for Fourtrack-Blackjack — one for every season. I got the first two done, and I present it as an album set. I make all the album covers myself. I make the actual covers — not just the artwork — but I carve it out of cardboard. I do it all. And then I tape them under my favorite bars in Austin. I leave them there.
Chuck Watkins
TOP So how’d you get the idea for the act?
CW I got a looper — I’m really big into recording music outside of comedy — and then I decided to try to integrate everything. It should all just be one machine, because I spend half my time writing jokes and half my time writing music. Getting the looper just made things realistic — this thing has a million comedic applications.
TOP It’s just one piece of equipment?
CW One piece of equipment — you put your foot down, and it loops everything you do until you press stop. It’s all one machine, it’s all one idea, it’s all one beast.
TOP Do you enjoy doing Fourtrack-Blackjack more than traditional stand-up comedy?
CW Well, I just want to make it different. You know, I just don’t want it to be like what you normally see. As long as I can try and push that and make it seem like it’s a little different bit still comedically viable. Then that’s what it’s all about for me: All of your ideas — create your own path, you know? It doesn’t have to be the same route everyone else takes.
TOP How long have you been performing stand-up comedy?
CW Three years.
TOP Do you have any big shows coming up?
CW May 11th and 12th at the Velveeta Room. It’s the Velveeta For-Profit Telethon. It’s for a good cause: money. For me.
TOP Is it really?
CWYeah.
TOP So are you raising money to tour?
CW No. Just to make some fuckin’ mad cash. It’s all about the bills.
Where to see Chuck Watkins and Fourtrack-Blackjack
Chuck and his looper will be at Punchline every Friday night, and you can also see him perform at the Velveeta Room’s For-Profit Telethon on May 11th and 12th.
Chuck Watkins at Punchline
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